Richard is off to Raine Island again. Ironically his departure coincides with World Turtle Day. After realising he has been to this highly protected coral cay on well over 40 separate occasions, we decided it was time to tell you a little bit about this incredibly majestic place.
Raine Island is located off the Cape York Peninsula, approximately 620km north-west of Cairns. At the very northern end of the Great Barrier Reef, it is the world’s largest known green sea turtle rookery. Up to 60,000 female green sea turtles migrate every year from as far away as Vanuatu and New Caledonia, to lay their eggs on this 27.5 ha of coral cay.
Raine Island’s impressive turtle aggregations are no secret to marine predators such as tiger sharks, so when the turtle migration is in full swing there is no better place for Richard to go to film or do research on his beloved Tigers.
The island also has the oldest European structure in the Australian tropics. The tower (or beacon) was built by convict labour in 1844 and can now be found covered with the guano of the significant seabird population that inhabits the island. Red-tailed tropicbirds, masked and brown boobies and frigatebirds are just some of the 84 bird species that have been sighted on Raine Island.
The Biopixel team are privileged to assist with the Green Sea Turtle research program currently being conducted by the Queensland Government. It is grueling work and not one for the faint hearted. The beauty and wildlife that surrounds you on Raine simply takes your breath away, however the island is very exposed to the elements and the research there is carried out around the clock. With very little sleep and constant exposure to the sun and relentless tropical temperatures, Raine Island has been known to push a person to breaking point in these challenging conditions.
You can read more about what the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection is doing to save Raine Island on their website at www.ehp.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals-az/green-turtles-raine-island.html.
We can only hope that with the efforts of Richard and the other research partners, Raine Island and its inhabitants and migratory visitors, will see benefit from this wondrous place for hundreds of years to come.
Back To Blog